Ready to make strictest law: Rajnath Singh condemns rape, murder of Hyderabad veterinarian

NEW DELHI: Condemning the brutal gangrape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad that has sent shockwaves across the nation, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said in Lok Sabha that there "cannot be a bigger inhuman act" than the heinous crime and the government was ready to bring the strictest law over brutality against women if there is consensus in the House.

The Defence Minister, who is also the Deputy Leader of the House, said, "Entire country is hurt. All lawmakers cutting across party lines have condemned the incident and demanded to give harsher punishment to the accused involved in the incident."

After the Nirbhaya incident, a strict law was made and people thought that the number of such incidents would go down," Singh said while maintaining that "Such gruesome acts have been happening continuously."

The Union Minister  said the government has no objection if the House takes up a detailed discussion on the issue."Whatever agreement is reached on a tough law, we are ready to make it," he said while adding that he had no words to condemn the incident.

The issue of gang rape and murder of 26-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad was debated hotly in both Houses of Parliament on Monday with leaders across party lines condemning the gruesome act and calling for stricter laws against perpetrators.

Leading a nationwide chorus of anger and uproar over the heinous crime, Samajwadi Party leader Jaya Bachchan said in the Rajya Sabha, "I think it's time, whether it's Nirbhaya or Kathua, or whatever happened in Hyderabad...the people now want the government to answer how much these people have received justice" while adding that "the accused in the rape cases should be named and shamed publically. These kind of people should be brought out in public and lynched."

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, over the calls for a new law, said to tackle crimes against women a change of mindset is required and not a new bill.

“What is required is not a new bill. What is required is political will, administrative skill, change of mindset and then go for kill of the social evil,” he said.

The 26-year-old veterinarian was gang-raped and killed allegedly by two truck drivers and two cleaners near a toll plaza on Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on the night of Wednesday. 

They later shifted the body to a place near Shadnagar town and set it afire. The charred body of the victim was found on Thursday.